The Calm Before The Storm [for juststeverogers]

[pirateangelbaby]

[Trigger warnings: implied suicidal thoughts]



It's been months since Thor spent any significant amount of time away from home, and he's surprised to realize how much he misses it already. Surprised he's even thinking about Norway as being home, or that he would want to be there more than here, among his shieldbrothers and sisters, the Avengers. What's left of them.

It'd be one thing if this was a social call, like Steven's birthday. But this... this is something else entirely, and just the thought of what they're planning to do makes Thor's skin crawl.

The Infinity Stones no longer exist.

So they're going to go back to when they did.

They haven't even begun to tackle the problem of keeping the loops stable, of how to ensure that nothing they do in the past will affect the timeline and implode the entire universe in on itself. Today was just for determining where the Stones even were, and only Thor had known the location of the Aether.

Of course.

He honestly doesn't entirely remember what he said during his turn to speak, as if he'd left his own body and someone else did the talking for him. Disassociation, Eir has told him it's called. He's pretty sure he stuck to the facts, about how no one knew where Bor had hid the Reality Stone until Jane stumbled across it during the Convergence, and that the only time they might have a chance at getting it from her would be when she was on Asgard. And then he'd pretty much checked out at the realization that no one else here has been to Asgard but him, and that if this insane nonsense of a plan actually works, they're probably going to send him there.

To Asgard.

Of course, chances are still pretty high that this isn't going to work and this is all just chasing wildfowl, but either way as soon as today's planning session was over, Thor made a beeline for his room to retrieve one of the last bottles of mead he'd brought along, and has found himself a quiet spot elsewhere in the complex to get as drunk as he can on what supplies he has left. The roof is as isolated a spot as he can find, under the open sky, which is streaked here and there with clouds that blot out some of the stars. Thor sits on the edge, unconcerned by the meager drop of a few stories, and turns his eye skyward to watch the slow shift of the weather above, and takes a long pull from the bottle.

Comments

This thread is https://twitter.com/ByTwistwood/status/1109936608122454020 but more somber

[juststeverogers]

Plans are things Steve's good at, in general. He doesn't always stick to them but he's gotten a hell of a lot of experience over the years in drawing up battle tactics. Making a working plan and leading people to see it through. Improvising when things can and do fall through. But Steve's never been the Brains of the Avengers. When it comes to theoretical out there sciences he has to take a step back and let Bruce, Tony, or anyone else with a niche expertise step up to figure things out when things get above a certain level. When Scott was talking about it Steve almost thought he could keep up but the second actual numbers started getting thrown around he's been overwhelmed with things he didn't even know he should have been asking all being discussed while he stood back.

Not that he's had the easiest times of staying here in the present since Tony came back. Since Tony brought him The Shield.

Something he hasn't touched in years now. How can anyone expect him to use it? It's always felt like it was made for his hand to wield it but somehow Steve just doesn't feel like he can. There's too many memories tied to it. Too many regrets. The complex is more full than it's been since The Snap, with more Avengers in it since damn near before The Accords even if the rest of the staff is gone.

Steve can't simply walk off and zone out to his own Better Days when he feels like it's all closing in on him. He does spy Thor wandering off though. If anyone knows a quiet place to sit and ruminate it's going to be him. No one notices when Steve excuses himself from the briefing room turned planning area to head outside and catch some fresh air. He wasn't adding anything to the discussion anyway. No one will miss him for a little while. It takes him a bit to figure out where Thor's gone but climbing up after him is at least as easy as it ever was.

"Budge over, will you? I need to get away from the racket for a few minutes."